Elena Rybakina admits her excessive calmness on court confuses her opponents

2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina recently talked about her distinct ability to keep cool and how it helped her ace matches in the past. 

Elena Rybakina admits her excessive calmness on court confuses her opponents

Elena Rybakina( Image: Hindustan Times)

Kazakh top seed Elena Rybakina is known for maintaining her composure on court, no matter how fierce her opponent is. This characteristic quality of hers sets her apart from other elite players on the WTA circuit. 

A while ago, Rybakina ousted World No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, to make her way into the Final 4 at the recently concluded Open in China. She, however, suffered defeat at the hands of Ludmila Samsonova.

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Recently, Rybakina made an appearance on the Mind Set Win Podcast, where the tennis professional shared several interesting facts about her life. She also talked about her expertise at keeping a poker face.

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Some of the other things the 24-year-old discussed included the reason behind her strict discipline, both on and off the court. She also talked about the disrespect she was faced with after her victory at Wimbledon last year and how the WTA not awarding the player her match points made her feel.

In an appearance on the Mind Se Win podcast, Elena Rybakina revealed that she had been practicing the art of keeping calm and composed during her previous few matches. “I’m trying to be calm and not show if I’m upset or angry, no matter the situation,” she said. She also touched on how keeping calm comes to her advantage. “It helps me and maybe also sometimes confuses the opponents, especially in the beginning when nobody knew me. It took them longer to figure out my weak spots,” the 24-year-old revealed.

That’s not all; as per Rybakina herself, keeping calm during a tennis match is rare for professional players. “Maybe other players are too angry or are showing too many emotions. They work to become calmer; for me, it’s the opposite,”, she said.

The Kazakh further talked about how she has been trying to become more aggressive on the court lately. “If I’m not playing well and the shots aren’t working, I need to show my opponent I’m still there and I’m still fighting. This is something I’m trying to work on and something I need to improve,” she further added.

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Elena Rybakina breaks Karolina Pliskova’s all-time record

Hailed as one of the best servers in women’s tennis, Elena Rybakina is often called the ‘servebot’. The player recently broke the record for the most aces in WTA-1000 events in a single season, which was earlier held by Karolina Pliskova. With 235 aces in WTA-1000 events in a single season, Rybakina aced past Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, who held the record prior with 234 aces in the 2019 season.

Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina (Image : Daily Express)

Serena Williams achieved the next three highest numbers of aces in WTA-1000 events in a single season in three consecutive years: 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively (232, 216, and 214). Rybakina achieved the record in her match against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the China Open quarterfinal, which the Kazakhstani ended up winning.

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